Water-gas apparatus



Nov. 18, 1924- L. S. STILES WATER GAS APPARATUS I NV EN TOR.

Nov. 18, 1923. 1,516,218

l.. s. sTlLEs WATER GAS APPARATUS INI/ENTOR.

Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES LNFORD SPEARING STILES, OIE` BROOKLYN, NEWYORK.

WATER-GAS APPARATUS.

Application led .Tune 23, 1921. Serial No. 479,725.

To all lwhom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, LINFORD SPEARING S'riLEs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have. invented an Improvement in lVater-Gas Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved .construction and mode of operation of water gar: apparatus with the purpose of increasing th-e output with a given size of apparatus, and especially in those cases where a reduction in the oil required for a candle power unit is reduced in producing and supplying gas on a B. t. u. basis which is now coming largely into use by way of displacement of the candle power unit. By elimination of a portion of the oil. heretofore employed, a very material reduction in the volume of gas results and consequently to maintain the maximum output from a given apparatus under the reduced use of .oil in association with the water gas, it becomes necessary to change or modify the internal construction of the parts heretofvore 'constituting the carburetterL and superheate'r or fixing chamber with a corresponding modification in the process, and it is with the special purpose of increasing the output efciency of the carburetted water gas of the lower B. t. u. standard from the same general gas apparatus heretofore in` common use supplemented by modifications therein, that my invention is concerned.

y More particularly,`it is my"purpose to provide means in a water gas apparatus to materially reduce the back pressure upon the gas passing from the generator through the carburetter .and fixation chambers, by causing the gas employed in heating the said chambers to freely pass therethrough in the same direction and with the gas divided partly through' the checkered brick work constitutingthe carburetter portion kof the apparatus and partly through the checkered brick, work constituting the fixing chamber of the apparatus, thereby facilitating the blowing up process of the generator and by proper admixture of airto the gases to be burned in the carburetter and fixing chamber portions of the apparatus,l more rapidly heating the same with the yobject of shortening the periods of running of the apparatus for a given output. The purpose of the apparatus is, furthermore, to provide a highly heated carburetting space into which the o il is sprayed to insure thorough vaporization and incorporation with the blue gas supplied from the generator preliminary to the passage of the carburetted gas through the highly heated checker brick work of the carburetter and fixing chamber portions of the apparatus, whereby the maximum volume of carburett-ed gas may be generated and handled in aminimum period of time, which result, supplementing the beneficial result in the heating up state of the process, enables the output of the apparatus of a given size to be increased over that which has heretofore,l been possible.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will be more fully understood from the description hereinafter, taken in connection with the drawings, the invention consists in the novel construction of gas producing apparatus and mode of operation of theprocess conducted therein, as hereinafter more fully described and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a gas apparatus embodying my improvements and adapted for the practice of my improved process; and Fig. 2 is a similar sectional elevation showing a modified construction of my improved gas apparatus.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures of the drawings designate corresponding parts.

y Referring more particularly to the structure shown in Fig. 1, 2 is the generator or blue gas producer; and arranged within the same sheet metal casing in association with the generator, but ata higher elevation, chambers constituting combined carburetter and fixing chambers 19al and 19b are prvided, a portion of the formerly employed intervening vertical division wall '15a re? maining. By suit-able iues and valves the gaseous products from the generator during its blowing up process may be supplied to the bottom of the combined oarburetter and fixing chambers and passed upwardly therethrough to heat them, whereas the water gas (blue gas) may be delivered into a chamber 19 at the top of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber where it receives oil. spray, the carburetted gas passing down through the heated checker brick. 1,7 and thence to the wash-box on its way to the holder.

The generator 2 may be of any ordinary construction, being provided with a grate 3, ash pit 4, and charging doors or fiues 5 near the top through which coal may be supplied. Air blast is supplied to the ash pit 4 by a blast pipe 6 and controlled by a. valve 7. Gas may be taken off' on the up run from the upper end of the generator by a flue 9 having a control valve 11 and on the down run by the flue 12 having a control valve 14,'said latter flue opening from the ash pit. The generator is further pro' vided with a steami pipe 8 opening below the grate 3 and discharging into the ash pit during the up run and is also provided with a steam pipe 8 discharging into the upper part of the generator during the down run. During the generation of the water or blue gas whether on the up run or down run, the blast from pipe 6 is shut off and steam from either pipe 8 or 8 admitted, as the' case may be; but when heating up, the steam is shut off and blast turned on and the producer gas so provided is conveyed upward and carried off by flue 9. The general construction and'mode of operation of the generator is well known and will need no further explanations,

Considering now the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, the same comprises the two chambered portions 19EL and 19b filled with checker brick work 17 and provided at the bottom with a perforated arch 18 upon which the checker brick work is` supported, the said perforated arch also sustaining the division wall 15a which terminates adjacent to the top of the checker brick work, andv leaving at the upper portion of the combined carburetber and fixing chamber a mixing chamber 19 in which the blue gas and the oil spray are commingled .prior to passing downward through the checker brick work. Immediately below the perforated arch 18 and above the generator 2 is a combustion chamber 16 into which the products of combustionor vproducer gas from the generator is delivered through a flue 10b under the control of va valve 11a.. Air blast is alsoprovided in the combustion Fchamber 16 through a blast pipe 23 leading l kfrom a blast main 2l and having the air blast controlled by a valve 22. In this man-4r ner, the products from the generator, when being blown to incandescent condition, are burned in the combustion chamber 16 and the gases'are causedto pass upward through the perforated archand through the checker brick work 17 of both of the chambers 19a and 19 and thence into the chamber 19 and finally escaping through -the esca-pe flue 25 when permitted by the adjustment ofl the cover or valve 26. The heated gases thus circulated through the combined carburetter and fixing chamber raise the temperature of all of the checker brick work vcontained therein to a high state, bringing them to a condition suitable for gasifying the oil and fixing the carburetted water gas thus provided. 'lhe blue gas from the generator 2 is supplied through the fiues 10`and l()a under the control of a valve 11", the discharge of the said blue gas7 beinginto the unobstructed space of the mixing `#chamber 19 at the. top of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber into which the oil is sprayed from the nozzle 20 opening downward through the central part of the roof of the unobstructed space of the mixing chamber. When the blue gas is being delivered from the generator to the chamber 19, the valve 11, leading to the combustion chamber 16, is closed, but the valves 11 and 14 are alternately opened. In the case of the up run of the generator, the valve-11 is opened and the valve 14 is closed, whereupon the blue gas, generated by the decomposition of the steam by the action of the incandescent coal, passes by flue 9 into flue 10, thence upward through fiue 10 and into the chamber 19. :In the case of the down run of the generator, steam is admitted above the coal bed by the steam pipe 8 and in this case, the valve 11 is closed and valve 14 opened, with the result that the blue gas passes from the ash pit 4 through fiues 12 and 13, and thence into the flue 10 and, as before, into the chamber 19. The carburetted water gas which leaves the lower p-art of the combined Carburettor and fixing chamber passes into the combustion chamber 16 and thence through a fiue 24 to the wash-box 27, and thence by fine 28 to the holder or p-lace of storage.

During the heat-ing up process, when the products of combustion from the generator are supplied to the combustion chamber 15 and therein burned, the gases so produced, after `passing through 'the checker brick work of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, may be again subjected to air blast from a pipe 23a through which air is delivered into the chamber 19 under the control of the valve 22, so that the entire combustible portions of the products may be consumed before passing to the escape flue 25 and in that manner thoroughly heatingv the inte-rior of the chamber 19. This additional heat in chamber 19 produced by the secondary combustion, will aid materially in vaporizing the oil spray and in a measure reduce the duty of the checker brick work in gasifying the oil. The air supplied to the air blast nozzle 23a is conveyed through an extension pipe 21a leading from the pipe 21 which supplies air blast to the combustion chamber 16.

It will be understeod that in the operation of the apparatus just described, the resistance to the flow of the gases, both heating'gas and carburetted water gas, through the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, is considerably less than the same exists in the modern types of water as apparatus wherein the carburetter an chamber are operated in Series, and for this reason, the quantityof gases, whether produced when blowing up the generator or when generating water gas therein, are considerably increased in volume, during the normal operation of the apparatus, over what they were formerly in a modern gas apparatus of the same size;l and consequently a greater output of gas in cubic feet is obtained with the apparatus constructed as herein set out, in a given period of time and with the same coal consumption, than has heretofore been possible wherein the carburetters andfixing chambers have been employed to operate in succession.

In a gas apparatus of the general arrangement of Fig. 1, so far as relates tothe position of a generator below the carburetting and fixing chamber, the construction thereof is similar to the Williamson type of gas apparatus embodied, for example, in the apparatus set out in Letters Patent No. 767,217, dated August 9th, 1904, to Eustace; and when the same is converted into a'gas system embodying my improvements, the dividing wall 15a, heretofore between the fixing and carburetting chambers, is partly or wholly removed, whereby what formerly constituted the carburetting and fixing chambers are in direct communication at top and bottom and, therefore, act as a single unit, permit-ting the upward flow of the heating gases through the entire checker brick work of the interior chamber, at one time and likewise permitting the downflow of the carburetted water gas through the entire checker brick work of the interior chamber, as one operation, and thereby reducing the resistance to the flow of the gases in both directions to a minimum. The available cross sectional area for the upward and downward flow of the gases is approximately doubled with the resulting reduction in resistance, the oil which is supplied to the blue gas is delivered centrally of the upper chamber which has a cross sectional area greater vthan what has heretofore been the combined cross sections of the carburetter and fixing chamber, so that the vaporization of the oil and its thorough intermingling with the gases to be carburetted is more efficient and the oil being delivered at a central point of a circular chamber, insures the sprayed oil reaching every portion of the gases within said chamber. The structural changes between the invention shown in Fig. 1, and that which has heretofore been employed inthe Williamson apparatus which is largely employed in commercial apparatus, is apparent when it is kept in mind that the carburetted gas flows downward through the carburetter and the fixing y thence upward through the fixing chamber. Another distinction in the present appara- -tus over the Williamson type, resides in the fact that the carburetted gas, after being thoroughly fixed, is delivered from the lower part of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber to the Wash-box, whereas in the Williamson apparatus, the wash-box is arranged at the upper part of the fixing chamber. It is manifest, however, that the Williamson type of apparatus may be readily changed to meet the requirements of my invention and increase its efficiency in quantity production of a 550 B. t. u. per cubic foot standard of gas.,

In this preferred construction of my invention, there is a unitary highly heated chamber performing simultaneously the combined functions of carburetter and fixing chamber, the same being provided with checker brick work of usual construction and having a cross sectional area or passage greatly in excess of what has heretofore been the cross sectional area of either the carburetter or fixing chamber where the said chambers were connected in series, as is customary in the commercial forms of water gas apparatus. By this construction, the shape of the chamber is maintained circular and is, therefore, best suited for thorough utilization of the checker brick Work and with the greatest production of carburetted gas with a given size of carburetting and fixing chamber, whereby a maximum output may be obtained. The construction furthermore provides one in which the first function, namel carburetting, is performed upon the blue gas to the fullest extent required, and thereafter the second function, namely, the fixing of the gas, takes place 'during the further continuous passage of the carburetted gas through the checker brick work, there being no restriction as to which portion is supplying the heat for carburettingof thegas and which part is for fixing purposes. By performing the two functions, carburetting and fixing, in one chamber, they automatically take place in accordance with requirements, that is to say, the function of the fixing chamber begins sooner or later in the passage of the gas, as may be required, thereby avoiding any loss of utility of the checker brick work and at all times utilizing the same with the highest efficiency. It will be further understood that as there is a direct passage through the combined carburetter and fixing chamber wherein the gases all pass in the same direction there is a tendency of a uniformity in the flow of gases through the .carburetter and fixing chamber and therebyunaffected by reverse changes in the direction of flow and the consequent variation in pressures resulting therefrom. n

Referring now to the modification shown of the carburetter corresponds to the cor' responding parts of the structure of Fig.` 1. Similarly, the arrangement of the blast pipes to the combustion chamber andv carburetter are followed, b-ut the intermediate wall a is 'extended upward at the top, as at 15`15b, as has heretofore been employed, dividing what was the chamber 19 of Fig. 1 into the two chambers 19a and 19", theformer being provided with the spray nozzle 20 and blast pipe 23a and the latter provided with the gas outlet 24 leading to the wash-box 27. Furthermore, the chamber 19a is provided with an escape flue 25'a having a cover or valve 26, corresponding in general construction and operation to the similar parts at the upper part of chamber 19". In this particular construction, the chamber 19a and that containing the checker brick work below it down to the perforated arch 18 may be considered as a carburetting chamber, where-as the chamber 191 and the checker brick work below it down to the perforated arch 18 may be considered as the superheater or 'fixing chamber.

Below the carburetter chamber 19a and fixing chamber 19b is a combustionchamber 16 having a perforated arch top 18, providing a free communication with the bottom portions Vof the carburetter and fixing chambers and for supporting the partition wall 15b between them, said perforated arch` permit-ting free passage of lthe heating gases upward through both chambers 19a and 19b or the carburetted l water gas downward from the carburetter chamber, through chamber 16 and thence upward through the fixing chamber. This combustion chamber 16 is provided with a flue 10b through which producer gas from generator 2 is supplied under control of a valve 11, and is also provided with a blast Hue 23 by which air blast may be supplied from a blast main 21, under control of a Valve 22. Valves 22 and 11l1 are either open or closed at the samev time and cooperate in insuring proper combus vgenerator and conveys water or blue gas alone, whereas 'lue 9 will at one time convey products of combustion whenthe generator is being blown for bringing its contents to incandescence and at other times' convey water orblue gas alone.

It will now be understood that the appa-` ratus will operate as follows: When the generator 2 is being b-lo-wn :to heatupthe coal, the products of combustion pass by flue 9 through valve 11, thence by lues 10 and 10b into the combustion chamber 16, the valve 11l being open and valve 11b being closed. The gases thus delivered into the combustion chamber 16 are supplied with air from blast pipe 23 and the heated gases thus produced are caused 'to pass upward through the perforated arch 18 and through the carburetted chamber and fixing chamber simultaneously, and the waste gases are permitted to escape through the escape flues 25 and 25%- In connection with this operation any unburned gases which pass through the carburetter 19a are supplied with addi-v tional air blast from a nozzle 23 and are burned in the upper chamber of the carburetter before passing through the escape flue 25a, so that this portion of the carburetter is brought to a high state of heat. When thisroperation has been completed, the blast to the generator is closed off as is also the blast to the combustion chamber 16, and to the carburetted chamber 19a the escape lues 25 and 25a are'closed, valve 11a is closed, and `valve 11b is opened. Steam is then delivered by a steam pipe 8 to the lower part of the generator and the blue gas produced in the up run of the Vgenerator passes through Hue 9, valve 11, flues 10 and 10a, through valve 11b into the carburetting chamber 19", where it meets a. spray of oil from nozzle v20 and is thus carburetted. The mixture of carburetted blue gas passes downward .through the 'carburetter 19a into the chamber 16, thence upward through the fixing chamber 19b and passes out by flue 24 through washer 27, and by flue 28 to the holder or other place of reception. Following the uprun of the generator, the down run is performed and in doing this, vthe steam valve 8 is closed olf,

steam valve 8 at the top of the 'generatoris open, valve 11 is closed, and valve 14 is open,

and thereupon the blue gas generated on the down run passes through lues12 and '13 into flue 10 and continues up to the carburetter, as before.

In this modified construction, the resistance t0 the heating gases is reduced'to a minimum, as in the case of Fig. 1, but the resistance to the water gas in passing through the carburetter and superheater in succession and by the reversed direc-l tion of travel is somewhat greater, than in the case of Fig. 1, and for that reason is not so desirable.v The highly heated condition of the oil spray chamber of the carburetter is found equally in this modification, as in Fig. 1. The reversed action in the heating gases and water gas in passing through the carburetter is also similar in the modification to that carried on in the preferred construction of Fig. l, though this does not apply to the action through the superheater, as in that case, the flow is in the same direction. For the various reasons stated, I/.prefer the construction of Fig.

1 over that of Fig. 2, but it will be understood that the essential difference between the two constructions resides more particularly in the discontinuing of the wall extension 15b in Fig. 1, and further in connecting the wash-box with the combustion chamber 16 at the bottomy of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber in Fig. 1, instead of at the upper part as, in Fig. 2.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

' Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, i's:

1. In a water gas apparatus, the combination of a generator provided with air blast and steam pipes, a combined carburetter and fixing chamber arranged immediately above the generator and having a perforated arch at the extreme bottom and a single unobstructed space constituting a mixing chamber at its upper end and also checker brick work supported upon the arch and extending up to'the unobstructed space constituting the mixing chamber, a combustion rchamber wholly above the generator and arranged immediately below -the per-' g directly with the combustion chamber and pipe for supplying air to the combustion chamber, and an oil spray nozzleopening into said unobstructed space for spraying the oil over the checker brick work.

2. The invention according to claim 1,

wherein the oil spray nozzle is arranged in the central part of the roof of the unobstructed space so as to spray uniformly throughout the same and on all portions of the upper layer of the checker brickwork.

3. In a water gas apparatus, a generator, a combined carburetter and fixing chamber, and a wash-box, wherein the generator is provided with air blast and ste-am pipes, and the combined carburetter and fixing chamber comprising a chamber having a perforated arch at the bottom and checker brick work supported thereon and a single unobstructed space above the entire area of said brickwork, combined with a valve controlled escape fine from the top of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, a combustion chamber wholly above the level of the generator and immediately below the perforated arch and provided with an air blast pipe, an outlet Afor gas from the combustion chamber to the wash-box, a valve controlled passage leading from the generator to the combustion chamber below the perforated arch, a second valve controlled .passage from the generator leading to and opening into the unobstructed space in the upper part of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, and an oil spray nozzle also opening into the said unobstructed space, and wherein further the combined carburetter and fixing chamber is provided with a blast pipe for supplying air to the unobstructed space above the checker brickwork and below the escape flue.

4. In a water gas apparatus, a generator, a combined carburetter andfixing chamber, and a wash-box, wherein the generator is provided with air blast and steam pipes, and the combinedcarburetter and fixing chamber comprising a chamber having a perforated arch at the bottom and checki'er brickwork supported thereon and a single unobstructed space above the entire area of said brickwork, combined with a'valve controlled escape flue from the` top of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, a com the generator and immediately below the perforated arch and provided with an air blast pipe, an outlet for gas from the combustion chamber t`o the wash-box, a valve vbustion chamber wholly above the level of l controlled passage leading from the generator to the combust-ion chamber below the` perforated arch, a second valve controlled passage from the generator leading to and opening into the unobstructed space in the upper part of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, and an oil spray nozzle also opening into the said unobstructed space, and wherein further the cross sectional area of the interior chamber of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber is larger than.

the cross section of the generator chamber whereby the resistance to the flow of gases leaving the generator is reduced in passing through the combined carburetting and fixing chamber.

5. In a Water gas apparatus, a combined carburc-tter and fixing chamber comprising a casing having a combustion chamber at its bottom provided With a blast pipe at its bottom and a carburetting chamber at its top provided With oi1 spraying means at its top, a Water gas generator providedwith air and steam pipes for generating water gas in reversed directions, a gas fiue having separate valved communications respectively with the combustion chamber and carburetchamber.

6. The invention according to claim 5, wherein. further, the carburetting chamber is also provided with an air blast pipe in the vicinity of the escape Hue.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

LINFORD SPEAKING STILES. 

